Warhammer 40 000 Black Rage
by metallover
Summary: My first fic ever completed kinda weak since I've been writing since 06 . Takes place at the end of the Horus Heresy, and leads into some of my future works hint hint, wink wink


**Black Rage**

_During the 31st millenium, humanity came almost close to anihlation. The Horus Heresy, responsible for the near fall of the human race, led by the Arch-Traitor Horrus laid seige to Holy Terra itself. The deciet of the Chaos gods turned the Primarchs Horus, Fulgrim, and seven others from defenders of humanity, to it's slaughterers. The Chaos Leigons, as they became known, were pushed back, but only after the near fatal mission to kill Horus was undertaken by The Emperor of Mankind, and two of his loyalist sons, Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists, and the doomed Sanginius of the Blood Angels. Sanginius fell to Horus, and because of that, the entire Blood Angels chapter was forever marked by the horrible curse known as the Black Rage._

Veteran Sergant Bariphas woke in a cold sweat. He had once again dreamt of his glorious Primarch's last moments, broken and dying at the feet of the traitor Horus.

It had been but twelve days since the retreat of the Chaos fleet from Terra, and the other chapters had arrived too late to save the Emperor, who's ruined body now lay in stasis while the Golden Throne was constructed.

Bariphas sighed. He and his squad were one of the thirteenth company of Blood Angels left behind to hunt down the remaining Chaos Marines too stupid to run from their defeat. In the last twelve days he'd hunted down fifty-two chaos marines of the Word Bearers Chapter. One of the the Traitor Legions. He'd even recognised some of the men that he'd been forced to kill, brothers in arms he'd fought beside.

The first time he'd seen one, he hesitated. The traitor hadn't, and Bariphas wore now a scar that would never fully heal.

The lights in the barracks went on at 0600 hours, and Barphias still had an hour left till lights on. Already wide awake, Bariphas stood and walked out of the barracks, into the blasted remains of one of the many courtyards of the Emperor's palace where the Blood Angels were housed. The Imperial Guard were housed outside of the palace, as the surviving High Lords of Terra thought it worthy of the Guard to be a human sheild if any other heretics attack. So far, only two squads worth of Traitor Marines had managed to rally and assault the palace. Futile as it was, they spooked the Guardsmen, and their moralle was at an all time low.

One squad of the Sons of Horrus had attacked, and a combined squad of Death Guard and Emperor's Children had been the second ones to do this. Single traitor marines were fairly common and not very threatening, but two whole squads worth was a frightening prospect, even to a hardened veteran like Bariphas.

A single attack squad of Luna Wolves had stayed loyal to the God Emperor, and were being screened for taint before being released. A few others had rejected the false promises of the Chaos Gods. Two from the Emperor's Children, one from the Death Guard. A Word Bearer and a Night Lord. So few out of so many showed true loyalty.

The Captain of the third company was wounded in the last assault by the Sons of Horus, and was hanging on by a thread, the apothecaries had told him. _First Sanginius, now Captain Xavier. How many more must die before this madness is stopped._ Bariphas thought. The true reason Bariphas didn't want Captain Xavier to die was that he was next in line of command, and didn't feel ready for the burden of leadership. There was a beast inside him now. A dangerous monster waiting to get out. When Sanginius was murdered, the entire chapter erupted in a rage worthy of the gods. Bariphas included. It was a frightening thought, that a monster lurked just under the surface. The apothecaries had told him that there was nothing to worry about, and that it was all in his head, but he couldn't help but feel the overall _wrongness _of it.

A wrongness waiting to escape.

A wrongnes that could consume him completley.

He had no fear in death, no fear in being wounded in combat, but to fall victim to a madness, to fall to the beast within. That made Bariphas feel an emotion he'd seldom felt since becomeing a Space Marine.

_Fear._

Veteran Sergent Coliden Bariphas, one of the most celebrated men in the chapter, felt fear at the thought of losing his sanity to the great dark beast held in check by a swiftly diminishing will power.

His marines felt it, too. The monster. The final legacy of Sanginius.

The ultimate sin.

One he was powerless to resist.

_Rage._

The men had nicknamed it the 'Black Rage'. They all knew how serious the situation was. Some even thought it taint. Those people had been swiftly reprimanded. This was no taint. At least, not a taint from the dark gods of Chaos. But something deeper. The primal instincts of a man. To kill or be killed.

Though no green newbie by any standards, his brooding and overconfidence had left him wide open. A realisation he had, after the traitor marine barrelled into his back, knocking them both to the ground.

Bariphas was a strong man, even by Astartes standards, but being knocked flat by someone in two tonnes of ceramic armour is a little winding.

Rolling out of reach of his opponent, Bariphas allowed himself to smile. Another traitor marine driven insane by the forces of Chaos, to stupid to even shoot a gun.

What Bariphas heard next made him hesitate halfway through drawing his side-arm.

"Horus! Warpspawn! Face me, traitor!"

It was Captain Xavier. Captain Xavier had attacked Bariphas. What was worse was he was delusional. He thought he was fighting against Horus.

"Captain, what are you doing? It's me! Col! Don't force me to hurt you!" Bariphas tried to reason.

"Begging already, heathen? Fine! Let my blade be the last you see!" Xavier screamed, drawing a long combat knife.

A single shot. A small hole in the forehead. That's all it takes.

Captain Xavier is dead.

He'd fallen to the Black Rage. He was dead before he even challenged Bariphas.

Bariphas sighed. Now he'd have to deal with the company's rage.

_**Well, that about wraps up the first short story thingy i ever finished (hooray!). It was a little bit of an experimental thing for me, it's not in my usual writing style, and I'm not very well acquainted with the Horus Heresy era of Warhammer 40 000. It wasn't the first thing I ever wrote, but it WAS the first one I actually FINISHED, so I thought it would be a good first submission. Hope ya'll enjoyed it, and keep reading my stuff. IT'S NOT ALL THIS WIERD!**_

**_-Metallover 08 (story written mid 07)_**


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